Thoughts Tie Me to You
by takaondo
Summary: Though Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia were separated from each other on White Day, neither one of them felt lonely or saddened by that fact. Their thoughts of one another were enough to bridge the gap between them. IchiRuki Two-Shot
1. Side A

**Disclaimer:** BLEACH belongs to Kubo Tite and Shiueisha Publishings.

**Author's Note:** Two-Shot giveaway for White Day. Using the themes **White Lie** and **White Rabbit**.

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_"My thoughts are free to go anywhere, but it's surprising how often they head in your direction."_

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_**Side A – White Lie**_

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_"As of now, all your opinions are rejected."_

_"Rukia… I've come to save you."_

_"Tell everyone that I give them my best."_

Kuchiki Rukia's eyes snapped open and she sat up, pushing down onto the soft grassy field that she had been laying in. Her hand brushed her across her face to fix a few stray raven strands and she looked over herself for a moment to check if she had any grass stains her Shihakusho. Content with her cleanliness, she pulled her knees to her chest, and stared quietly out towards the midday horizon.

And the memories from earlier continued to echo in her mind.

'Why am I suddenly thinking about you? Is it because of what day it is today?' She thought to herself. Her eyes softened slightly. 'I wonder… Have you been thinking about me today, like how I've been thinking of you?'

"Yo, Rukia!" A voice said from afar. Rukia turned, instantly recognizing the voice

"Renji." Rukia said with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Abarai Renji was walking briskly across the field behind her with a wide grin on his face. He held a small white package in the crook of his arm.

"I knew you'd be here at Hokutan!" Renji said as he stopped beside her. He paused for a moment as he remembered the reason why he was here, and quickly took hold of the package. "Anyways - Happy White Day!"

With surprise, Rukia took it from him. She stared at the small white box, noticing the small intricate ribbon that wrapped it and the familiar golden seal at the bottom edge of it.

"Looks like the type you get from the Kuchiki Store -" She said blankly.

"Shut up!" Renji yelled. He started to go red from embarrassment. "It was the only place that sold that stuff!"

"The cheapest brand too." Rukia added as she looked up at him.

"I'm trying to save for a pair of new goggles!" He replied. "Besides, I -"

"Thank you, Renji." Rukia interrupted before giving him a small smile.

Renji looked at her with surprise, but it was not the smile that had surprised him. He was surprised by how quickly the smile had disappeared from her face. She was obviously troubled by something. He looked away in thought for a moment before he took a seat next to Rukia on ground. She didn't even seem to notice him; she was too distracted by her own thoughts.

"You know, there's only one reason to be unhappy on a day like White Day." Renji said without looking at her. "It's because this day causes people to think about the most important person to them. That's why you have such a lonely expression on your face, isn't it?"

He turned to her.

"You miss him, don't you, Rukia?"

Rukia's eyes lit up at his words. She turned to him and glared at him defiantly.

"What! Of course not! Ichigo's not…" She started.

"Who said it was Ichigo?" Renji said with a small knowing smirk. Rukia's eyebrows furrowed crossly at him, but he ignored it and smirked at her. "Do you remember what you said back then? 'It would be better to disassociate Kurosaki Ichigo from Soul Society.' That's what you told everyone at the captain's meeting seventeen months ago. But that was really just a white lie, wasn't it?"

Rukia didn't answer as she looked away.

"Whether it's a white lie or not, it doesn't matter. It's better this way." She finally replied. He voice was impassive. "I know Ichigo probably thinks the same way."

Renji stared at quietly for a few moments, but quickly gave her a small grin.

"Ah." Renji said reassuringly. He patted her shoulder, and got up to leave.

Rukia watched as he disappeared, and fell back into her thoughts. A small breeze blew across the field, swaying the soft green grass in little ripples around her. She slowly closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she enjoyed the feeling of the wind washing over her.

'Whether it was a white lie or not, I don't know, but I do know that least that Renji was wrong about one thing.' She thought. 'Because I've been thinking of Ichigo so much today, my head is constantly filled with the thoughts and memories of him. Every time I close my eyes, I can see him again.'

She slowly opened her eyes, and looked up at the clouds in the blue heavens. A small smile graced her lips as a soft expression touched her features.

'Because of that, how could I possibly feel lonely?'

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**_End of Side A_**

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	2. Side B

**Disclaimer:** BLEACH belongs to Kubo Tite and Shiueisha Publishings.

**Author's Note:** Part two.

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_"I've finally found that life goes on without you... and the world still turns when you're not around."_

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**Side B – White Rabbit**

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Kurosaki Ichigo and Asano Keigo walked down the sidewalk in downtown Karakura. Ichigo was scowling lightly, but he seemed rather calm considering just how much Keigo was talking beside him. His loud voice carried over to the other side of the street, causing those passing to look over curiously. Ichigo didn't seem to mind Keigo's obnoxious behavior this time though, but on any other normal occasion, he would have put him into a choke hold.

He seemed to have been just too distracted to care.

"So I told her, 'Hey, so what if I don't -'"

"This isn't about how you got rejected, is it?" Ichigo interrupted blankly without looking at him.

"I did not get rejected – I got turned down!" Keigo replied indignantly.

"That's exactly the same thing, Keigo." Ichigo added.

This small banter continued for a while until they turned the corner. Keigo froze for a moment, and in a seemingly random gesture, he ran in front of Ichigo and grabbed his shoulders.

"I don't want to go that way - let's go this way!" Keigo said with an anxious smile on his face.

"What? Why?" Ichigo said with a scowl, pushing him aside without a second thought. Keigo yelped as he fell. "This is the quickest way to -"

And he froze, just as Keigo did a few moments before him.

The street was decorated with an assortment of White Day items, ranging from white chocolates to cookies. But it wasn't the food that had caught his attention. White rabbit plush toys hung at the window of a store nearby. Ichigo stared at them for a few moments before he glanced over his shoulder to Keigo. He was still sitting on the sidewalk, looking down in slight shame as he carefully avoided Ichigo's eyes.

"I thought that if you saw those white rabbits… well…" Keigo started quietly. "I thought that… you would start thinking of Rukia-chan."

Ichigo dropped his gaze, and his mouth wore into a thin line. Then suddenly without warning, he punched his fist into his other hand and cracked his knuckles dangerously. If Keigo had been any lesser man, he would have wet his pants right there in the street.

"Do you want to get your ass kicked?" Ichigo said angrily as he glared down at Keigo.

"Hiiiiiiiii…!" Keigo covered his face with his arms, and cringed as he waited for the incoming pain. "I yield! I surrender! Don't hurt me! Not the face!"

Keigo opened one eye as the pain never came.

"You idiot." Ichigo said as his hands dropped to his sides. Keigo looked up at Ichigo with shock.

But Ichigo only looked away impassively.

"Even if I did see things that reminded me of Rukia, why would that matter anyways?" Ichigo continued quietly. "Today, my head has been constantly filled with the thoughts of her." He turned so that his back hid his expression. "But… how is that a bad thing in the first place?"

Then he started to walk away without another word. Keigo only sat there quietly on the ground with a surprised look on his face. The distance between them slowly increased. With each step Ichigo took, another memory flashed in his thoughts.

"_It's not Shinigami, it's Kuchiki Rukia."_

"_That's the kind of man you are to me, Ichigo!"_

"_Seems like this is farewell, Ichigo."_

And he stopped walking, just as those memories disappeared.

'That's right. It's not a bad feeling.' He thought as his bangs hid his eyes. 'In a way, it's comforting. Those thoughts allow me to see her again. That's become something that's no longer possible. Maybe that's why, that somehow, it just makes me happy.'

He smiled as he raised his gaze.

'People always think of the most important person to them on days like Valentines and White Day. That's why today is the day that my attention is completely focused on you, even when you're not here.'

And he looked up thoughtfully, watching the blue clouds shift slowly across the azure sky.

'I wonder if that's the same for you too, Rukia.'

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**_Fin_**

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